Expedition 52 flight engineers Paolo Nespoli, left, Sergey Ryazanskiy, center, and Randy Bresnik visit Red Square to lay roses at the site where Russian space icons are interred as part of traditional pre-launch ceremonies on July 10 in Moscow. Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls.

The three Expedition 52 crew members practiced evacuating the International Space Station today in the unlikely event of an emergency. The trio also set up an advanced life science study and continued the upkeep of the orbital complex.

Afterward, Whitson spent the rest of the day exploring magnetic cell cultures and bio-printing for the Mag 3D experiment. The new research which just started in April is exploring how magnetic tools may enhance cell and tissue culture capabilities on orbit.

Fischer pressurized the Japanese Kibo lab's airlock and checked for leaks ahead of an external experiment set to begin next week. Fischer later worked on light plumbing duties and checked on the condition of a science freezer.

Back on Earth, another three Expedition 52 crew members are getting ready for their July 28 launch to the space station. The experienced space trio of Randy Bresnik, Paolo Nespoli and Sergey Ryazanskiy, visited Red Square in Moscow for traditional ceremonies on Monday. They will head to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan July 16 for final pre-launch training.

On-Orbit Status Report

Magnetic 3 Dimensional (Mag 3D) Cell Culturing: The crew prepared hardware in the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) for Mag 3D operations. BioCell Habitat, Mag 3D samples and Cultures Inoculation Kits were removed from the Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) and used to inoculate Multiwell BioCells using Inoculum syringes. Cell cultures in space spontaneously grow in three dimensions, which results in characteristics more representative of how cells grow and function in living organisms. But in microgravity, routine manipulation of cell cultures is challenging. This investigation uses magnetized cells and tools to make it easier to handle cells and cultures and to improve the reproducibility of experiments. This approach also makes it possible to generate two-dimensional cultures as controls, and to determine whether biological events in these monolayer cultures result from gravity or substrate attachment.

Japanese Experiment Module Airlock (JEMAL) Operations: The crew pressurized the JEMAL this morning and performed a leak check. This is in preparation for installation of the Handhold Experiment Platform (HXP) adapter on the JEMAL Slide Table later this week that will support the Exposed Experiment Handhold Attachment Mechanism (ExHAM) investigation operations planned for next week.

Capillary Structures for Exploration Life Support (Capillary Structures): The crew set up hardware for the Capillary Structures investigation and completed two sorbent demonstrations. They first demonstrated flow through two microgravity air-liquid contactors in series, then demonstrated flow through two parallel microgravity air-liquid contactor wedges with a viscous fluid. Current life-support systems on the ISS require special equipment to separate liquids and gases including rotating or moving devices that could cause contamination if they break or fail. Capillary Structures studies a new method using structures of specific shapes to manage fluid and gas mixtures. It also studies water recycling and carbon dioxide removal, benefitting future efforts to design lightweight, more reliable life support systems for future space missions.

On-Board Training (OBT) 50 Soyuz (50S) Emergency Egress Drill: All three crew members participated in this OBT to practice procedures for departing the Station in the event of an emergency. This drill is scheduled 12 to 14 weeks aboard the ISS and every 2.5 months thereafter.

The three Expedition 52 crew members practiced evacuating the International Space Station today in the unlikely event of an emergency. The trio also set up an advanced life science study and continued the upkeep of the orbital complex.